Children’s Institute recently celebrated an exciting milestone in the construction of our new Frank Gehry-designed Watts campus: Topping Off, or placing the final beam on the building. To commemorate the occasion, a small group of staff and construction workers signed the beam before it was put in place.

CII broke ground on the site in January 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic struck Los Angeles. However, the construction project has continued to move along on time and on budget.

Slated to open in 2021, the building will house critical therapeutic programs, parenting workshops and after-school activities that will serve children and families affected by poverty and intergenerational trauma. The space will also feature a new headquarters for the Watts Gang Task Force and the LAPD Community Safety Partnership.

CII’s President & CEO Martine Singer said that when the Watts campus opens, it will serve a community reeling from the long-lasting effects of the pandemic. A recent survey conducted with families in CII’s early education programs reported over 40 percent had either lost their job or had their hours reduced, and weekly earnings dropped to an average of $400 for a family of five. And the majority of families are in need of financial support to aid in paying for basics like rent, food, soap or utilities.

“This campus will serve many purposes as CII responds to immediate threats to the lives and well-being of families while also addressing bigger systemic issues that have made residents in this community incredibly vulnerable during this crisis,” Singer said.

Bridget Gless Keller, CII Trustee and Watts Building Committee Chair, has supported the Watts campus from its inception by enlisting friends and family to raise awareness for the project. She said the need for the new campus has only increased as a result of this national health crisis and it will be a central community hub when it opens.

“The ‘Topping Off’ is another significant milestone in the construction process,” Gless Keller said. “In these unprecedented times, the continued good work of the design and construction teams are bringing this vision to fruition.”

CII is currently in the final phase of the Capital Campaign for the Watts Campus. Click here to support the campaign.

Over the past five years, Children’s Institute has embraced “reflective practice” – literally, the ability to step back and reflect on your own experiences to improve the way you work. At CII, reflective practice is incorporated both in clinical supervision and in supervision with teachers and home visitors.

Jesús Parra, Vice President of Behavioral Health & Wellness at CII, said reflective practice improves the level of care staff provide while also preventing burnout. According to Parra, people working in human service may get caught up in the moment of caring for families and lose sight of the bigger picture, which is why it is important to build in a pause mechanism, especially when work gets chaotic. Reflective practice allows supervisors to help staff reflect on their interactions with families after the fact, and also to use reflection in their sessions.

“This isn’t just about thoughts and feelings,” Parra said. “In reflective practice, staff and supervisors slow down to see if additional resources can help, including bringing in new expertise.”

While reflective practice has been part of the human services field for more than three decades, its value has become increasingly important during the COVID-19 crisis, with people stuck at home for  many months.

Desiree Yoro Yoo is the Director of Project ABC and has more than 10 years of training in reflective practice. She said the whole concept focuses on keeping clients, staff and supervisors in a place of calm where they can continue making thoughtful decisions. If done correctly, people will stay mindful regardless of external events.

“The most important part about reflective practice is creating safety through emotional support, which remains true for this current crisis,” Yoro Yoo said.

Nancy Watt is a Home Visitation Program Manager at CII and uses reflective practice regularly with her team; when workers are feeling stretched or rejected reflective practice can help keep things in perspective.  Home visitors usually go into the homes of new parents to provide tools and guidance, though since March they have worked remotely, using phone and video.

While virtual sessions present new challenges, Watt said the process of pausing to reflect and find new solutions is still taking place, and will continue to happen as CII provides extra support to families during traumatic times.

“Reflective practice improves the quality of work because we are able to bring new perspectives to every type of challenge,” Watt said. “When two people come together and have that safe space, they are able to discover new solutions.”

The first time Greg attended a group meeting at Children’s Institute’s Project Fatherhood program, he hardly said anything. He was looking for answers on how to become a better parent to his 10 children, but he was nervous to share his own struggles and open up to the other dads.

Sunday marks Greg’s third Father’s Day as a member of Project Fatherhood where he rarely misses a meeting. He not only speaks frequently at group meetings, but he is now looked at as a mentor and leader to dads who are new to Project Fatherhood.

“We say it every week, that this is a safe place for dads to talk about their feelings and express themselves,” Greg said. “We don’t have many spaces to do this so our time together is important.”

Greg with nine of his 10 children. His oldest daughter attends college out of state and is not pictured.

The program, which connects trained CII staff with dads who want to improve their relationships with their kids, relies on fathers like Greg to use their own struggles and successes to build trust with new dads joining group meetings. Many of the dads grew up in “tough love” homes where their fathers were absent or emotionally closed off, which has led to their own parenting challenges.

With 19.7 million children nationally, or roughly one in four kids living without a father, the program focuses on dads being active participants in their kid’s lives. The program has reached more than 15,000 dads who parent 23,000 children since its founding.

David Frazier, Project Fatherhood Specialist, said Greg brings a tremendous amount of experience as a single dad to 10 kids, which makes him central to the group.

“Greg’s love and admiration for the program keeps him involved in the group on a weekly basis, and allows him to constantly evolve as a man and father for his children,” Frazier said.

Greg taking a selfie while out to dinner with his children.

Greg, who works as a barber and also home-schools his kids, said the skills he has learned from Project Fatherhood are something he uses every day with each one of his children. Prior to the marches and protests that have broken out following the murder of George Floyd, Greg said he talked to his children about what it means to be Black in America, but the last few weeks have been especially important parenting moments about opening up and speaking to his kids about race.

“I have seven boys and three of them are above 6 feet tall,” Greg said. “Even if they aren’t adults yet, that doesn’t mean they won’t be mistaken as adults and even bad things happen to people who follow orders so we have constantly been talking about this topic.”

Greg said his oldest son loves medieval history and has a replica sword. He said that last week his son was about to walk outside to grab the mail while holding the sword, and Greg had to stop him and explain how that was a potentially dangerous situation from an innocent action.

“We had to have a conversation about what it means to be a young Black man and the dangers he faces when he goes outside,” he said.

While Greg has watched the marches and protests with his children from afar, he said he will continue to educate them and support their rights to live safe and healthy lives, which has been central to his parenting approach since joining Project Fatherhood. That approach also carries through to his Father’s Day plans, which Greg said will be minimal – he said he prefers the spotlight to remain on his children.

“To me, every day is Father’s Day,” he said. “I’m working for my kids and that’s the biggest reward.”

Although LGBTQ+ foster youth go through adversity and experience different barriers, there is one thing that is remarkable. They each share their own unique stories as they journey through their self-identity. Their resiliency shows that there are no limitations to the LGBTQ+ foster youth community when they stand grounded in who they are and what they believe in. The Individualized Transition Skills Program (ITSP) team acknowledges the challenges that the LGBTQ+ transition age youth face and we are constantly looking for ways to provide support, resources, trainings, and platforms for our youth to express themselves.

A 2019 study found that 30.4% of youth in foster care identify as LGBTQ+ and 5% as transgender, compared to 11.2% and 1.17% of youth not in foster care. As an ITSP supervisor and part of the LGBTQ+ community, I stand with PRIDE and want our youth to know that the path in life may not always seem clear – and there will be challenges — but you are not alone.

Continue to dream and aspire to be whomever you would like to be and never doubt that you all deserve everything in the world. If you ever doubt your resiliency, remember that you have already overcome the biggest barrier, and that is self-acceptance.

Sincerely,

Stephani Collazo
ITSP Supervisor

Below is a poem from an 18 year-old youth in ITSP named Ali:

Hey there
I’m Ali
I identify as pansexual and gender fluid
You can use they, them, her, she, him, he to describe me
I don’t mind
Some days I feel more masculine some more feminine
Others I think it’s a mixture of both
Don’t forget I’m still me my personality
doesn’t change just the way I dress
Now I also figured out that I can find
anyone attractive
No matter how you identify
You could be a girl, a boy, gender fluid,
trans, etc.
I can still fall in love with you and love you for who you are
This is not a phase as some have told me
I don’t need to conform to what others think
I should or look
I love myself the way I am

– x.a.x.

Children’s Institute held its 4^th Annual Dream BIG Graduation on Thursday to honor the accomplishments of foster youth graduating high school and attending college this fall. While this year’s event took place on Zoom due to COVID-19, and during a week of global protests and unrest, the graduation focused on a hopeful future where foster youth will join a new generation of leaders.

Actor/comedian Anthony Anderson, Run-DMC’s Darryl McDaniels, and Netflix’s VP, Original Series/CII Trustee Channing Dungey addressed the graduates by offering words of hope and inspiration, while DJ Lani Love treated the seniors to a well-deserved dance party.

Actor/comedian Anthony Anderson recorded a message for the ITSP youth graduating high school.

“You are truly a remarkable group of people,” Anderson said. “Your resilience, determination and your grit is what made you make it here as high school graduates.”

Each graduate is part of CII’s Individualized Transition Skills Program (ITSP), which is designed to empower foster youth ages 16-21 to be successful, independent adults through wraparound services focused on improving education and employment outcomes. Young people work with their own CII Transition Development Specialist (TDS), who serves as a combination of counselor, role model and life coach.

Nationally, youth growing up in foster care are three times more likely than their peers to drop out of high school and fewer than 13 percent will attend college. In total, only 3 percent will earn a college degree.

Carlos delivered a speech on behalf of ITSP youth during the ceremony.

Evelyn Medina, ITSP Supervisor, said youth in foster care face a number of additional challenges that contribute to low national graduation rates. They often move between multiple foster homes and schools, and the lack of permanence puts many at-risk of homelessness.

Of the 125 eligible seniors in ITSP, 114 are graduating high school and 104 are enrolled in some form of higher education.

“This is a huge milestone that has taken a lot of dedication, persistence and resiliency,” Medina said.

The 91% graduation rate for ITSP youth is due in a large part to their relationship with staff. TDS have a one-on-one relationship with foster youth and are always ready to pick up the phone and respond to whatever need pops up. This can mean everything from driving a youth to a DMV appointment, working through college applications or shopping for work clothes.

Netflix’s VP, Original Content, and CII Board of Trustee Channing Dungey addressed the graduates with a speech closing out the ceremony.

Carlos, the Dream BIG youth speaker delivered a speech on behalf of ITSP, and specifically thanked his TDS Wendy Gomez. Carlos will be a freshman at the University of La Verne next fall and will be the first person in his family to attend college. He said he hopes to one day become a neurosurgeon.

“I want to congratulate every single one of you for being here, because even with all the statistics stacked against us, we can overcome anything we put our minds to,” Carlos. “Continue to inspire change in the world and continue doing what you are doing.”

Congratulations to the Class of 2020!

Read Carlos’ commencement poem below:

Today is the day my life begins
I choose to be accountable,
I choose to be responsible
To live a better life.

Today is the day I begin to live.
I choose to be true to myself,
I choose to be honest,
To live the life I’ve always wanted.

Today is the day I learn to love
I choose to love those who doubted me,
I choose to bestow my warmth on those who believed in me,
To live a life with the people I love

Today is the day I become responsible,
I choose to face my problems,
I choose to accept the consequences,
To live a life without regret.

Today is the day I accept my faith,
I choose to believe in soulmates,
I choose to believe in what can be,
To live a life full of happiness.

Today is the day I realized what life is,
I choose to take every opportunity,
I choose to take action,
To live life to the fullest.

 

Dear Friends of CII,

I am outraged by the brutal murder of yet another African American person in this country.

George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Ahmaud Arbery. Sandra Bland. Walter Scott. Philando Castile. Michael Brown Jr. Freddie Gray. Tamir Rice. Trayvon Martin. Eric Garner. Countless others. Their lives matter.

I can’t imagine the emotions of our African American colleagues and families we are proud to work alongside and serve every day. My heart is with you, and CII stands in solidarity with you.

Tens of thousands of people of all races, religions, gender identities, political beliefs and socio-economic status have taken to the streets to express their righteous indignation and voice an urgent need for real and lasting societal change.

What kind of change?

Safety.  African Americans and other people of color must feel safe, without fear of being shot and killed for walking down the street, or listening to music, or driving a car.

Access. All communities, regardless of zip code, deserve the highest quality healthcare, housing and education.

Hope. We want children to envision a future without oppression and racism.

As an organization that works with children, families and communities who have experienced the greatest injustices, we know that trauma adversely impacts their health and wellbeing. We must address structural racism in order for children and communities of color to reach their full potential.

As Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wrote in the Los Angeles Times this week:

“Racism in America is like dust in the air. It seems invisible — even if you’re choking on it — until you let the sun in. Then you see it’s everywhere. As long as we keep shining that light, we have a chance of cleaning it wherever it lands. But we have to stay vigilant, because it’s always still in the air.”

CII stands with the family of George Floyd and all victims of racism, excessive force, bigotry and systemic inequity and we will continue fighting for justice and a brighter future for our kids.

With my warmest regards,

Martine Singer
President & CEO

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week and we are excited to honor our 300 teachers, substitute teachers and home visitors along with a large group of in-classroom parent volunteers at Children’s Institute. With this year’s Teacher Appreciation Week marking nearly two months of safer-at-home orders, CII is extra thankful for early childhood educators who have responded to the COVID-19 crisis by quickly transitioning to virtual learning and stepping up to continue supporting kids and their families.

In early March, CII preschools serving 2,500 children across nearly 30 locations transformed overnight into virtual early childhood education hubs. Supported by CII’s IT department, teachers overhauled lesson plans and placed weekly calls to families while creating content for a weekly e-newsletter, specialized YouTube channel and learning app.

Citlali Gudino, a teacher at CII’s South Vermont Head Start, said it became apparent that the needs of families extended beyond education at home. Each family enrolled in CII’s Head Start, Early Head Start or Home Visitation program already worked multiple jobs and lived below the poverty line. As jobs in the hospitality and service industry were eliminated, parents reported losing one, two or all income sources. Many were ineligible for unemployment benefits or experienced long delays in receiving funds leaving families with zero resources for essential needs.

“We are here to help them and let them know that they are not alone,” Gudino said. “We care for these children and families and want to see them succeed.”

As teachers frequently checked-in, they became key lifelines for identifying immediate needs and connecting families with free resources in their community. CII preschool sites were converted into distribution centers where staff handed out meals while items like diapers, formula, soap and other essentials were delivered directly to families.

Due to the familiarity and trust most families had with their CII teacher or home visitor, staff were also often the first point of contact for the most at-risk families experiencing emergencies. From reporting domestic violence to not being able to pay rent, CII teachers and home visitors responded to urgent calls and provided assistance whenever possible.

Justine Lawrence, Vice President of Head Start at CII, said it is so important to appreciate teachers during this crisis and be grateful for their dedication to children and families.

“Our teachers have adjusted almost overnight to virtual learning and have done an incredible job at continuing to be teachers,” Lawrence said.

Ana Palacios, Vice President of Early Childhood Services at CII, said whatever the need, CII’s early childhood educators have responded admirably to ensure families are protected throughout this crisis.

“Now, more than ever, our Early Childhood Education services are crucial to our families,” Palacios said.

Support the work of CII teachers by making a donation here.

Children’s Institute has partnered with e-commerce organic grocery distributor Thrive Market to provide free memberships to families we serve who are impacted by COVID-19. The partnership highlights one of many ways CII is ensuring access to essential items during the pandemic.

Thanks to an anonymous $100,000 gift, 500 families (or 1,500 individuals) will receive food and household supplies for a month. What’s more, these items are sent through the US Mail, so families don’t have to leave their houses to receive the benefit.

In addition, all 1,000 CII staff members will receive free memberships to Thrive Market.

CII’s President & CEO Martine Singer said working with Thrive Market offers an additional lifeline to families who would otherwise struggle to buy food because unemployment benefits haven’t kicked in, or families do not qualify for government relief.

“Many of the families CII supports were already struggling before this crisis and they are now facing increased risks due to extensive job losses and school closures,” Singer said. “This partnerships with Thrive Market is a crucial support to families reeling from COVID-19.”

According to a recent USC study, the number of people employed in Los Angeles County fell 16% in the last month, significantly higher than the national average. More than 1.3 million jobs were lost, disproportionately affecting African Americans and Latinos, especially those with just a high school education.

Nolan Green, Chief of Staff at Thrive Market, said they were eager to help when CII proposed a partnership. He said Thrive Market has created a system to prioritize orders from the most at-risk families to ensure they don’t go hungry.

“Organizations like CII are so crucial for mobilizing aid locally, so especially as a Los Angeles-based e-commerce company, we’re proud to do whatever we can to help,” Green said.

Justine Lawrence, Vice President of Head Start at CII, said it has been amazing to share the partnership with families in need of extra support.

“Our families have struggled with job losses and a lack of resources, which has added more stress to their already challenging lives,” she said. “The partnership with Thrive Market allows us to ease the burden on families figuring out how to feed themselves and their children.”

In addition to the partnership with Thrive Market, CII is distributing free meals to families at our early childhood centers, providing diapers and formula to parents, and offering virtual learning and mental health sessions. Since April 2, CII’s COVID-19 Relief Fund has raised more than $160,000 to help LA’s most impacted families.

Children’s Institute has been awarded $5 million to focus on services that will help improve the health, economic stability and educational attainment of residents in Watts. This funding represents a larger partnership with the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) that will bring $35 million in new investments to revitalize Watts.

In late 2019, CII joined HACLA in its proposal to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the Choice Neighborhood Implementation grant. CII found out last week that our proposal was awarded the funding, which will help transform Watts and focus on the redevelopment and expansion of 700 public housing units into 1,569 units at the Jordan Downs development where CII has a large presence through our Behavioral Health & Wellness and Early Childhood Education programs.

CII’s President & CEO Martine Singer said the award marks another step forward for the community of Watts. In early 2020, CII broke ground on a new Frank Gehry-designed Watts Campus that will house critical therapeutic programs and a variety of supports for children and families.

“CII is deeply committed to the children and families of Watts, and thrilled to be a partner on this critical initiative that will empower the community for years to come,” Singer said.

Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a press release that while the city applied for the funding prior to the current COVID-19 crisis, it is the right moment to receive support for a community that will greatly benefit from these resources.

“At a moment when so many people are hurting, it is essential that we keep investing in our communities and sustain the momentum of the neighborhood-based transformation underway in Watts,” said Mayor Garcetti.

This effort will be supported by over 30 partners that include the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE), Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital Foundation, and Partnership for Los Angeles Schools among many others.

As the lead entity for the “People” component of the plan, CII will coordinate services for Jordan Downs residents including mental health support, managing a newly created People Center and organizing community resource fairs.

“This is a significant opportunity for community transformation both for the residents of Jordan Downs and Watts broadly,” said Danette McBride, CII’s Vice President of Community Innovations . “I am thrilled that CII, as the People lead, will be an integral component of the process.”

Over the coming months, CII will share more information about the project. Implementation of these services will begin in 2021.

It’s National Volunteer Appreciation Week and we are reflecting on our loyal volunteers and the impact they make at CII. In 2019, more than 4,300 volunteers contributed 20,000 hours of service to support children and families in Los Angeles. Those hours are valued at $450,000!*

While our volunteer activities are on hold during COVID-19, many CII volunteers have participated in #Give19, the social media campaign we launched to raise money to get essential supplies – like food, soap and diapers – to families impacted by this crisis.

Here are some volunteer highlights from the past year:

Age of Learning

One Saturday in June, more than 50 volunteers from Age of Learning, creators of ABCmouse, transformed the outdoor playground at our Western Head Start Center into a vibrant and interactive space to encourage play and learning. In addition to creating a large mural, the team put up new signs and donated games and sports equipment. When the children came to school Monday morning, their amazed faces said it all. CII Board of Trustee Sunil Gunderia is Chief Strategy Officer at Age of Learning and helped make the volunteer event possible.

Haworth

More than 100 volunteers from 20 design and architecture firms sponsor CII’s annual Gears4Kids event. Haworth, the furniture and office space manufacturer, buys bikes for kids in CII’s programs and taps into their network of Los Angeles-based design firms to contribute lights, bells, water bottle holders and locks. The volunteers help kids assemble and accessorize their bikes, and LAPD is on hand to teach bike safety.

UCLA Student and Alumni Volunteers

CII receives support from different student groups throughout the year, including UCLA students and alumni. In September, for Hispanic Heritage Month, the UCLA Latino Alumni Association beautified one of CII’s preschools in Watts by adding a fresh coat of paint to the exterior. Later in the year, another UCLA student group contributed supplies and gifts at Florence Griffith Joyner Elementary School, where CII provides comprehensive supports to students and their families.

Capital Group

Once again, Capital Group employees spent a day in November assembling Thanksgiving Harvest Bags for children and families served by CII. They filled bags with stuffing mix, mashed potatoes and grocery gift cards.

Freya Zhou and Friends

With over a thousand children and parents in attendance, the Winter Family Festival would not be possible without the support of nearly 100 volunteers. Age of Learning, Loyola Marymount University, HCVT and CII support group Les Amies helped families celebrate the holidays with games, arts and crafts, gifts and lunch.

One volunteer who has consistently supported Winter Family Festival is Freya Zhou. The recent college graduate uses her birthday wish each year to enlist friends to help out at Winter Family Festival. This year, Zhou expanded her involvement by joining the event planning committee.

Junior League of Los Angeles (JLLA)

As a long-time sponsor of the Father-Daughter Tea, JLLA brought 30 volunteers to the event, which celebrates the unique bond between dads and their daughters. JLLA holds literacy events throughout the year featuring reading circles, arts and crafts and dance groups, and a Halloween-themed event in October.

*The estimated value of a volunteer hour is $29.95. The estimate is based on the average hourly earnings (plus 12 percent, to account for fringe benefits) of all production and non-supervisory workers